The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-23
GEN. cArLIN NOT ALONE.
Col. Stegman also Leaves the Repub-
ican Party
Et-om the NE YIork 81.

/ L4CdA I al GJs
From the Ne,c York Star.
The sensation caused in Brooklyn by the
/ action OF Gen. Isaac s. Catlin in leaving the
| Republican party and going over to the
| ranks of the Democracy, was augmented
1 yesterday by the announcement that Col.
/ Lewis r. Stegman, prominent Republican
/ of the Nineteenth ward, had followed his
| example.
"Yes, it's true" said Col Stegman to
I reporter. Gen Catlin has taken the proper
course and honor him for it. am going
/ TO take the same course. had made up my
| mind to do 50 before | heard of Gen. Catlin's
action want to get out of the party open
/ ly, squarely and above board"
"Wh hat led you to this conclusion" was
| asked
| "Well, I am disguised with the party.
/ After | read the vituperative report of the
/ Bacon investigating committee | made up
/ my mind that if a Republican Legislature
! adopted il it was time for me to get out of
| the party. have lived III Brooklyn since
| my boyhood. and | love the city, and can't
| conscientiOusly remain a member of a party
| that has vainly attempted to blacken the
city's fair fame. l can't endure the attempt
to create the impression that it is a sink hole
of vice and corruption sirlDly for
political capital So far as the Bacon
committees reference to me, l have
the greatest contempt for it, but l am
panied at the impression that has been spread
abroad Business men in other cities object
to do business with us for fear We are oil
knaves and swindlers. / hold that it is the
business Of no party to create such an inn
preston as that simply to gain temporary
party advantage, and will not hold ale
glance 70 a party whose leaders prostitute it
TO such purposes
Col Stegman is an ex-sheriff, an old
soldier and prominent Grand Army man.
He has a host of friends i'll the city who will
be influenced by his action.
Republicans could hardly believe the re-
port that Gen Catlin had left the party and
become an out-andout Democrat. Gen
Jourdan thought it was joke when he was
told about it, When he was convinced that
il was true he expressed genuine regret.
''Gen. Catlin is friend of mine said he
"a generous, warm-hearted man. and | am
sincerely sorry to lose him politically Mr.
Jourdan would not, however, say anything
about the causes which led Gen. Catln to
take the step.
Ex-Mayor Seth Low found the subject
equally painful. He did not care to talk for
publication. he said. Robert Il. Sedgwick
one of the leading and best known Republi-
cans in the city, was not so close mouthed
He admitted that the loss of Gen Catlin
would be a serious blow to the party. mo
man has a greater following of personal
friends than he" said Mr. Sedgwick mo
matter where he is placed he can command
them, too. He has done more for the party
than the party has ever done for him. Who
would have gone into the Mayoralty fight
against Woodford as he did! 1t was a per-
sonal sacrifice, but he was loyal enough to
make it."
Gen. Catlin himself spoke out plainly
about the matter yesterday. He said he
had stood with the party as long as possible,
but after he had worked for years in its SER
vice he could not stand it to be kicked and
insulted by a lot of young Mugwumps who
had never done more than to vote.
1T makes my blood boil" said the old
war horse, when l think of these things.
hate to leave the old party for which l
have labored 1t is like leaving home, but
when the old folks kick a son from their
door step he does not beg to be taken back,
not if he is a lad of any spirit. And such a
boy generally finds as good home as he
has been driven from, sooner or later But
| how much worse is it when your associates,
| your brothers and the old gentleman begin
| to scold and cali you hard names after faith
| full and long continued service, and
this sort of thing is kept up year after
| year, and finally 1t eliminates by
| formal and elaborate censure published
| before the world without a scintilla
| of foundation for it; then it is about time
| for q fellow to begin to look for another
home, and that's my case. And | shall not
be lonesome after little whie, for already
| the strongest evidences in writing and YER
bally are coming to me that / viii have
| plenty of company from the old mansion
| Lots of the faithful boys who have stood by
| me like heroes will come with me and stand
| by me hereafter. And Pm not going to say a
| word against the old home. / merely say
| that / can't be pursued any longer by the
| Pharisees and hypocrites that have been
swapping and barking at my heels for these
long years without any rebuke from the
constituted authorities of the old mansion
| There has been corner on lies in it for
| months and years, which is still busy manu-
| featuring and peddling the pure material,
| and now, having cut loose from it. let them
whack away, as l am out of their jurisdic-
| ton.
GAS for the portion of the Bacon report
which reflects upon Mr. Ridgway and my
| self, that was written by Edward Morse
| Shepard. He poses as an independent
| Democrat and he argues that in throwing
odium upon Mr.. Ridgway and myself, he
| will compel his own nomination for District
Attorney. He says to the people: You see
the situation; hfr, S Catlin who received the
unanimous Republican nomination, and
| here's RidgWay who received the unani-
nous Democratic nomination You see
what they have done. Here am. Now. you
| must nominate me in order to have things
as they should be. But should Mr..
| Shepard be nominated he would not get
enough votes to know that he was run
ming"
The letter which Gen. Catlin prepared to
send along with his letter of resignation he
concluded at the last moment not to send.
lie refused to give it out for publication,
| saying that it was better to leave it as the
| letter that was never sent
|
A NEW ZEALAND EPISODE.